Commenting as the government accounces plans to ask all schools to offer at least a 32.5 hour school week by September 2023, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We hope that during the year before these proposals are implemented, there can be a review of the evidence supporting this plan. Simply adding five or ten minutes to a day is unlikely to bring much, if any, benefit. The government says it will be guided by evidence – they need to meet that undertaking.”